Thursday, June 18, 2015

Review: The Honest Kitchen Dog Food

A few years ago when I was researching dog foods, I came across many great brands, but one brand really stood out. The Honest Kitchen actually makes human grade food for dogs and cats!

"We believe cats and dogs deserve the highest quality healthy pet food. We provide all natural human grade dog food and cat food products, using dehydrated whole foods. Our pet foods are produced in the USA from non-GMO produce, hormone-free meats and some organic, fair trade ingredients - all carefully sourced from around the world (and we NEVER use any pet food ingredients from China)." (source)

Amazing huh? Doesn't get any better than that!

We have tried a couple of samples of their dehydrated food in the past, but we were able to get a 2 pound trial box (which makes 8 pounds of food!) through a Klout perk featuring the website doggiefood.com. Besides their namesake, they also have food, treats, and other items for all kinds of companion animals.

"Can we open it yet, mom?"

Now, The Honest Kitchen has many different recipes to choose from and they are great if your pet has allergies or need to be on a limited ingredient diet. You can choose from many different protein options and now they even have grain free varieties, like the one called "Love" that we are trying in this post.

A first look at the packaging and I really like the art depicting the food that is in the box. As a parent to a pet with allergies, this helps me make a quick decision if I should move on and look for something else. So, sweet potatoes, chard, pumpkin, cranberries and more? Sounds great! I haven't seen many other dog foods include those ingredients before.

Another special feature that sets this food apart from others, I mean besides it being human grade of course, is that it is dehydrated! This helps to preserve all the nutrients in the food and allows your pet to enjoy their full potential. Plus, compared to chopping up veggies and meat yourself, this is a lot easier and time-saving.

I agree that pets deserve proper food! With proper food, our pets can live longer and healthier lives, and we all want that, right?

So it is gently dehydrated, all natural (with added vitamins and minerals), has no ingredients from China, and made in the U.S.A. You know how I love my U.S.A. based dog products! ;P

On to the back of the box!

So looking at this ingredient list I see some great ingredients up top and the vitamins and minerals on the bottom. Beef is what makes up the most of this recipe and I love that the ingredient list is pretty simple.

The instructions are pretty straightforward, mix the dehydrated food with water, stir, wait 3 minutes for the food to re hydrate, and serve.

And here is the feeding guide for this recipe of THK food. I like how they show you how long the box will last. Just remember that it is advised to separate feedings to at least twice a day. (of course during shooting the photos for this post I used the full daily amount on accident -cough-)

Okay! Enough with the details, on to the fun part!

The dehydrated food is powdery and has a distinct "Honest Kitchen" smell (I can't find words to describe it!). It is like a beefy vegetable smell, haha.

The first step is to measure out the dry ingredients. Jada and Bailey eat about the same because Jada needs to lose weight, and Bailey needs to gain weight, so I give them the same amount to get to their goal. So for a 13-pound dog you can feed 1/2 cup a day.

Then, you add warm water! I like to add a little less than the amount of the dry food. We put in 1/2 cup of food, so we add in a little bit more than 1/4 cup of water. After you add the water, stir it all up with a spoon or whatever is your preferred utensil (trust me when I say a fork doesn't work very well! :P)

We now have to wait 3 minutes for the food to re hydrate completely. This is probably the hardest step because your dogs will be going crazy looking at you, and then the food bowl wondering why in the world you won't just give it to them already. But, you can reward them for waiting by giving them a lick of your stirring utensil!

Re hydrated dog food! It is a little less thick than oatmeal and would be great for senior dogs!

omnomnom!

After the long wait, it is time to serve!

Don't be surprised if your pup gobbles it all down without coming up for air. Jada and Bailey really like it, and so do I because I know that it is really good for them - and human grade too!

Check out our how-to video here:

Now, about it being human grade. You didn't think I would review it without taking a bite now would you? Oh-ho!

At BlogPaws, we picked out dehydrated ingredients to make our own THK recipe. Since my dad was around while I was taking pictures, I asked if he would be my guinea pig and try it out for me.

He said it wasn't bad - kind of a bland meaty flavor. Then he went in for another finger full.

A little bland is fine though. Dogs do not have as many taste buds as us, so they have no idea what they are missing, It's all good in the hood to them!